Surcharges for Exceptional Activities

DHL Express is committed to providing customers with the best delivery service, which is why we are continuing to offer coverage to more parts of the world than any other company.

In order to maintain a consistently high level of service, DHL Express levies under given conditions a surcharge for exceptional activities. DHL Express regularly evaluates the level of these surcharges to reflect the changing costs associated with offering exceptional activities, and we strive to ensure these surcharges remain fair for our customers.

A surcharge is applied per shipment when the delivery destination location is remote. Remote is defined as islands and highlands; or a post code/zip code that is difficult to serve; or a suburb/town that is distant, inaccessible or infrequently served.

A surcharge is applied per shipment when the pickup location is remote and the transport charges are being billed to the account holder at destination or in a third country. Remote is defined as islands and highlands; or a post code/zip code that is difficult to serve; or a suburb/town that is distant, inaccessible or infrequently served.

DHL Express is certified in certain classes of Dangerous Goods in accordance with IATA and ADR regulations. The handling and transportation of Dangerous Goods is not possible between all origins and destinations.

A surcharge is applied per shipment when the handling and transportation of shipments involves substances and commodities that are in Excepted Quantities (EQ) in compliance with IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations. These shipments contain very small amounts of slightly dangerous products and the gross weight of such shipments cannot exceed 1 kg per piece and are accepted from approved Shippers only.

A surcharge is applied per shipment when the handling and transportation of shipments involves substances and commodities classified as fully regulated in accordance with the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations. Such dangerous goods are accepted from approved Shippers only.

A surcharge may apply per shipment when the handling and transportation of shipments involves Lithium Ion or Lithium Metal batteries compliant with the appropriate IATA Packing Instructions 966, 967, 969 and 970, Section II. DHL Express will not accept any shipment containing lithium batteries that are known or suspected of being defective or damaged.

A fixed surcharge is applied to every piece, including a pallet, that exceeds the scale weight of 70kg or with a single dimension in excess of 120cm. Shipment pieces, skids or pallets with an actual weight above 300kg or that exceed 300cm in length, width or height are not accepted. DHL reserves the right to assess additional surcharges.

This fixed surcharge is applied to every pallet within a shipment that cannot be stacked, either on request by the shipper, or because of its shape, content or packaging. This surcharge applies to domestic and international shipments.

This fixed surcharge is applied to any shipment that has an incorrect delivery address at the time of pickup and the delivery cannot be fulfilled after making efforts at the destination to determine the correct address. This surcharge applies to domestic and international shipments.

A surcharge is applied when shipping to a destination country, DHL is operating at elevated risk due to continuous state of war, civil unrest, or continuous threats from terrorism. Destination countries affected: Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Mali, Niger, Syria and Yemen.

A surcharge applies when shipping to a destination country that is subject to trade restrictions imposed by the UN Security Council. Countries in scope: Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Libya, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen.